The decision over the staging of the event, scheduled to be held from August 8 to 19 in 2023, was made by the FISU Executive Committee at an online meeting today.

Yekaterinburg 2023 general director Alexander Chernov told Russia's official state news agency TASS that the Summer World University Games would be postponed to a later date.

"This is not a transfer from Yekaterinburg, this is a transfer to a later date," said Chernov.

"The dates will be determined in November."

The postponement comes just a few days after Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin claimed that preparations for Yekaterinburg 2023 were continuing "as planned".

Matytsin was elected as FISU President in November 2015 before agreeing to step aside in March last year for the duration of World Anti-Doping Agency sanctions imposed on Russia in connection with the manipulation of data at the Moscow Laboratory.

Swiss official Leonz Eder is serving as FISU Acting President until December 17 this year when those sanctions are due to expire.

Russian and Belarusian athletes had already been banned from competing in this year's delayed FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu but no decision had been made on Yekaterinburg's hosting rights for next year's event until today.

Olympic speed skating champion Svetlana Zhurova, a deputy of the Russian State Duma, said she expected the Games would be returned to Yekaterinburg.

"It was expected that they would be deprived, but it was not expected that they dragged on for so long," Zhurova told TASS. 

"For the International University Sports Federation, it’s not the best option.

"They, of course, wanted to hold [the Summer Winter University Games] in Russia. 

"The two previous Universiades showed the highest level of organisation I'm sorry, because the townspeople were really looking forward to this, they were worried until the last moment."

The move comes after numerous sporting events planned to be held in Russia this year have been relocated following the country's invasion of Ukraine.

Among those includes the inaugural FISU University World Cup Combat Sports that were scheduled to take place in September in Ekaterinburg.

The FISU's Executive Committee has agreed to move the event to Samsun in Turkey.

"FISU has been bringing young people together from around the world in safe and peaceful celebration this year, with the resumption of our FISU World University Championships," said Eder.

"And we are more determined than ever to provide even more of these opportunities in the future, in partnership with the host cities to whom we remain deeply grateful."

It has also been agreed by FISU's Executive Committee to relocate its November meeting from Yekaterinburg to Brussels in Belgium.

The attribution of the hosting rights for the FISU World University Games in 2027 is expected to top the agenda at the meeting, due to be held from November 10 to 12.

Yekaterinburg was awarded the hosting rights for the 2023 edition in July 2019 following a unanimous vote, with all 23 members voting in favour.

Alexander Chernov, director general of the Yekaterinburg 2023 bid, announced at the time that the total budget was expected to be €1.1billion (£9.8million/$10.2million).

A total of 18 sports were due to be on the programme with 247 sets of medals on offer.

Russia has held the Summer and Winter edition of the FISU Games under the former Universiade title in the past decade in Kazan in 2013 and Krasnoyarsk in 2019, respectively.

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